0 _" ^9 t; y" vChina detains three underground priests, group says! v, N S( o: L2 g
Sun Jul 29, 2007 1 Q) z4 C0 u; |" J# q6 {2 F
/ r9 b; X. N9 KBEIJING (Reuters) - China detained three "underground" Catholic priests unwilling to serve a state-controlled body, a U.S. group has reported, as Beijing and the Vatican press their claims on religious controls. ! H* a0 _" A& I6 e* k/ ?1 O1 Q6 g3 n ( D8 f( U3 M" @/ _" h! `7 S2 gThe three men were caught by police in north China's Inner Mongolia region, having fled there from neighboring Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement emailed late on Saturday.; I) Q+ X. s/ E+ [* I
/ i7 u/ b& _3 S* {The detentions came as the Vatican and Beijing test their boundaries of authority following a letter on China's Catholics from Pope Benedict.1 H5 X. `) M5 B N/ M+ p! Y( C
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China's 12 million Catholics share the same basic religious beliefs but are politically divided between "above-ground" churches approved by the ruling Communist Party and "underground" churches that reject government ties. . s! {9 X* E& [( V1 T- V" E/ n 7 a8 h0 F' U5 D" Z8 a; O* wOn June 30, Pope Benedict issued a letter that urged reconciliation between the two sides. But he said the church must have the power to run its own affairs, including appointing bishops, possibly with government consultation.9 r5 q g3 r; m9 b( i, |- s. K
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The Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter. ) H8 R& r8 w9 `" E6 @- _ * i) y. z+ ?" \3 |' wParts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches. 1 x0 a* d! }9 a1 `0 }& y( t( |) u0 w( {1 I9 c" Z# X
The Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs.% K7 V* J7 c9 f7 m2 T/ ~# o
$ G( f# R% `: ?# l& F+ X& S' qPlain clothes police detained the priests -- Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong and Gao Jinbao -- on July 24 and they have been transferred to an unknown location, the Foundation said. " @; p' L, t& q' M1 ` ' e, b; M9 m+ ~6 F8 `9 w"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone. ) d8 V6 c& |" Z* F+ R" [" p* h7 X# J7 H+ n/ m; W0 e6 A* a
Kung said he did not know if the men have been charged. Another underground priest, Cui Tai, had been detained in Hebei following a minor motorbike accident, he said. 5 v- a) P& P5 _& P- O! m. ~ ! g) y0 P2 M( P# v3 {# w' HSometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer." n2 ?1 p5 f7 \, |) g/ |
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The Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese. ( Q: N8 U; K) T0 {2 Y % y: g6 H( S9 R- \) }* S( P" V6 Q7 lRome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval.! A r e$ H6 M& u0 ^9 k: [. V
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But an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval. 0 c& v' ^4 i: O& g) O2 m6 p; i% `3 O( Y5 I! Q; C
These days, most state-approved bishops have also won Vatican blessing. The Vatican has not had diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1951 and instead recognizes Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China regards as an illegitimate breakaway.
